CHANCELLOR Rachel Reeves said on Wednesday that any government support to offset the increase in energy costs caused by the conflict in the Middle East would be based on household income.
Household energy bills are expected to rise in July, and Reeves said in March that any support would be targeted.
"We're looking at ways in which we can support people based on their household income," Reeves told the BBC, adding that it was too early to say who would get help.
In an interview with BBC Breakfast, she said: "I want to learn the lessons of the past because when Russia invaded Ukraine, the richest, the best-off third of households got more than a third of the support. That makes no sense at all."
Reeves said gas usage would increase in the autumn, when Ofgem's current price cap for households in England, Scotland and Wales expires.
The next price cap has not yet been announced but is expected to increase.
"From July to September, gas usage, especially by families and pensioners, is the lowest of any months of the year because it is the summer months," she said.
Andy Burnham sits next to chancellor John Healey (R) as he holds a National Economic Council meeting at No 10 North at Heron House on July 24, 2026 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)
